Eastern Antarctica was not so different from the Antarctic Center: it was a huge area covered in plains and valleys, very different from the mountainous regions of the center. Even with the arrival of summer and enough heat to melt the snow, a large amount of ice and cold still remained. At the same time, new streams and numerous lakes had been born.
The endless night had passed, and now the longest day of the world would begin, lasting for months.
The Eastern Antarctic campaign had intensified at a not entirely slow pace, but much slower than in the Antarctic Center. Even so, with a population of one-third of the world's population, the number of abominations arriving would only increase continuously.
Currently, Shade was sitting atop the enormous corpse of an abomination that had been a Fallen Tyrant, eating some pieces of dried meat. He watched his three hundred soldiers, all covered in the same wetsuit underneath and their armor pieces on top. Each of his soldiers was a member of Shadow Garden who had been fighting alongside him for a few months.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Shade watched as the battle had ended after the death of the last abomination. He finished eating his dried meat and climbed down from the enormous spider-shaped corpse.
Shade approached the section of the mundane soldier army, who began to retake the place for the evacuation passage. This area had previously been one of the most dangerous in Eastern Antarctica due to the number of Fallen-rank abominations. This city had been an important point to connect with other nearby cities before being declared a black zone. However, thanks to Shade and his three hundred subordinates, it only took them two days to eliminate every abomination in the city and retake it for human dominion.
"Captain Uriel," said his right-hand man, Frédéric, if he remembered correctly.
"Frédéric, report."
"The situation is under control. We are searching the entire city for hidden nightmare creatures."
"Alright, good work. Report to central command that we have retaken the city."
"Yes."
Shade raised an eyebrow as he looked toward the ground, feeling something moving below.
"Is something wrong, sir?"
"Yes, there's a nightmare creature beneath the city. I'm going to eliminate it before it causes problems."
Uriel walked until he saw a sewer grate, pulled it from the ground, and ventured into the darkness completely. The Awakened Frédéric waited a few minutes until multiple tremors shook the buildings for several seconds, until everything fell silent. Two minutes later, he watched his boss emerge bathed in some kind of disgusting slime.
"How disgusting. I hate fighting slimy things. They leave me all sticky and smelly."
"Sir, what happened?"
"A Corrupted Demon. It was a disgusting slug-like thing. I killed it, but it left all this disgusting slime on me." Shade shuddered.
"Sir, we found something interesting," said an Awakened, making Shade look at him.
"What thing?"
"It's a Fallen Tyrant's nest blocking access to an underground area of the city. Several are currently fighting the tyrant."
"Good, send more support if necessary, and I really need a bath."
Uriel took out the Rhino and went inside it. A few minutes later, he came out refreshed, without any trace of stinky slime covering his body. Whistling a tune, he watched as the new passage was built quite effectively. He summoned a melocton and began eating it carelessly until Frédéric called him.
"Boss, we've received new orders."
"What's the mission?"
"We need to head south. There's a concerning level five threat that needs to be eliminated."
"Level five?" Shade made a thoughtful gesture. "We should be close. Did they mention sending us reinforcements?"
"No, there are no divisions available other than ours."
"Alright. Give the signal. We leave in thirty minutes."
After Frédéric shot an arrow that left a trail of black smoke — the meeting signal — they left exactly half an hour later toward the south, where the Corrupted Tyrant had been tracked. His team was divided into trucks to conserve their strength during the battle against the tyrant and its minions. Although a Corrupted Tyrant was not a problem for Shade, for his subordinates it would be a difficult battle.
Pulling out a bone from his dark storage and a knife, he began carving figurines to pass the time. A few hours passed until they finally stopped a few kilometers from a lake that would be the Corrupted Tyrant's next destination.
After getting out, the Black Numbers began scanning their surroundings to discover any abnormality in the area. Shade just sat on a rock with a bored expression.
Another hour passed until he felt two presences he recognized instantly. Looking into the distance, atop some rocks, he saw Sunny and Jet, whom he waved to. A few moments passed until they approached Shade. He saw that Jet was wearing a kind of black armor fitted to her body, with a cold aura around her; her blue eyes were like inflexible steel. On the other hand, Sunny wore the black silk tunic that Uriel had given him several weeks earlier.
"Elegant and majestic Master Jet, seeing you as always is a sublime pleasure for these sinful eyes," Shade said dramatically.
Jet rolled her eyes upon hearing the familiar elegant words.
"Why do you always have to do that?"
"It's my way of being, Master Jet," he replied. "By the way, I still maintain my stance: is the government stupid?"
"Am I missing something?" asked Sunny, feeling ignored.
"Nothing important."
Sunny narrowed his eyes suspiciously but said nothing.
"And what's the plan?" asked Sunny, deciding to change the subject.
"A fairly simple one. I kill the tyrant and my three hundred kill its minions."
"That simple?"
"Yes."
"Did you think I would come up with an elaborate five-hour plan?"
"No, we know you well enough to know you keep things simple," said Jet.
"You see, Sunny? Master Jet understands my genius."
"Good for you."
"Hey, don't be mad."
"I'm not mad."
"You clearly are," said Shade with a thoughtful expression.
"Well, whatever."
"Captain," said a voice.
"Yes, Frédéric?"
"We've detected the tyrant. It's approaching this location quickly."
"Excellent. Prepare for battle. Once the tyrant is dead, you will need to eliminate its army."
"Yes, Captain!"
Shade stood up. The darkness beneath the rock undulated, and a figure emerged wrapped in shadows: black armor with flowing cloth pieces. In his hand, a large, extremely sharp black sword materialized.
"Alright, lure the tyrant to this area," Shade ordered, making the dark knight disappear from sight, moving at enormous speed.